I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a captivating read that held my attention from start to finish. The story was well-paced, and the characters felt real and engaging. I’m grateful to the publisher for providing an early copy—it was a pleasure to read!

As a major Donna Grant fan, I was delighted to read Rising Sun, the first book in her Elven Kingdoms series, and it did not disappoint! This gripping story follows Yasmin, a determined human, and Ravi, a moody elf, as they go on a treacherous adventure through the Dangerous Peaks. The tension between them is palpable, and I loved how their initial hostility blossoms into something more profound amid heart-pounding peril and magnificent scenery.

Grant's world-building is amazing, tempting us with hints of a rich history and fascinating politics. The split POV allowed me to identify with both characters, particularly Yasmin, who has suffered unthinkable trials. While I felt the romance progressed too quickly near the end, the overall tale kept me riveted to the page. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next! If you appreciate fascinating paranormal romance, this is the book for you!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Magic, Fae, Elves
Theme: Enemies to Lovers
Author: Donna Grant
Book Publication date: May 14, 2024
Page Count: 391 (Kindle)

Book Cover first thoughts: Love the book cover, it drew me in

Story Review / Summary:
Absolutely LOVE the map with a link to more information. I wish every fantasy book did this because most have a map that is barely readable. Then the next page is 7 Races of elves / Elf Glossary. Something that is also a plus! I often start reading a book and can’t remember this world building information in the first section of a book. Sometimes I never can remember depending on how many characters there are so this was a BIG positive.

I was not sure about the Elf storyline or if I would enjoy it. But I did enjoy the story and plot. The story starts off slow, which seems typical for Fantasy books. I did not think this would be a spicy book. LOL

This was my first Donna Grant book and I loved her writing style. Looking forward to reading #DarkHeart the second book in the #ElvenKingdoms series.

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Thank you to #NetGalley and DL Grant, LLC for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of #RisingSun
All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was May 14, 2024. This review is being shared on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon.

This is my first book by the author and after finishing it I'm sure it won't be my last. Rising sun is the first part of Elven kingdoms.


Rising sun had me hooked from the very start. I loved all the characters, Yasmin, Ravi, Durga, Dain and even Manu. Yaz is a human being in a world ruled by elves. Her life wasn't just difficult but she has survived a decade of pain at the hands of elves. So it is no wonder she doesn't trust any elf , rather hates them. And then she is forced to be on a mission with one of the rudest appearing elf she has ever come across.

Ravi is skeptical about the young human female and waiting for her to betray him. For him, his mission comes before anything and everything. What starts as hating each other, converts to being friendly and then friendship and then something else together. Even though about first 50 % of the book is about journey on a mission, it kept me interested coz of the storyline.


Later the action started and it intrigued me even more. The overall setting and the storyline is quite slow and it was hard sometimes but I was definitely into the characters and wanted more of both of them. It definitely would have been better if it had kept a fast and steady pace but I liked it nonetheless.

Thank you Netgalley and DL Grant, LLC publishing for the wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review. I have requested the second book from the series too as I can't get enough for Ravi and Yaz but I think we are going to see more of Dain than Ravi and Yaz in the second book.

The premise of this book intrigued me but it was hard to get into! Not a favorite for me but i would read more from this author.

I enjoyed the emotional and perilous journey of strangers to soul mates. The hint at book two has me ready and begging for it! I cannot wait to see this series progress!

Rising Sun by Donna Grant is a captivating start to the Elven Kingdoms series, blending dark fantasy with a touch of romance. The story follows Yasmin, a human with a powerful secret, and Ravi, a jaded elf, as they embark on a perilous journey over the Dangerous Peaks. Their mission is fraught with danger, but it’s their evolving relationship that truly captivates.

Rising Sun is a refreshing start to a new series of paranormal fantasy and romance, while fitting in the usual tropes in a new fun way.
The dynamic between the 2 main characters had me captivated from the start, their contrasting but also similar (don't tell them that) personalities worked well together and were believable with their backstories.
Yasmin’s warmth and determination complement Ravi’s stoicism and depth, and because they both are used to being dependable lone wolves, they find it difficult to work with a partner in crime, with the plot putting them both in an impossible position of needing each other to complete their mission.
I thoroughly enjoyed this opening chapter to the Elven Kingdoms series, and look forward to the next chapter.
Thank you Netgalley and the author for the ARC of this lovely book!

OMG! Another new series from Donna Grant. Of course I had to request the arc. And she did it again: she totally blew my mind with this tale full of suspense.

Yasmin is a wonderful character: resilient, strong and a compassionate survivor. When she is being blackmailed into taking Ravi into Shaldorn, she thinks of ways to get out of her assignment. Distrust, anger and fear are her companions. It is great to see how Ravi and Yasmin learn to trust one another. And of course -or it wouldn’t be a real Donna Grant story, there are some unexpected twists and turns, before we come to the HEA of the book.

And I’m keeping my eye out for Dain, the elf, who helps Ravi throughout the story. I do hope that Donna will grant him (yep: pun intended) a story of his own. He deserves it! Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Thanks to Netgalley & DL Grant, LLC for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Rising Sun more than I thought I would. It was full of intrigue, drama, magic, and romance.
It took me a few chapters to really get into it, but after that I was hooked. I read it in a day, I just couldn't put it down.

Yasmin and Ravi were great main characters. Their chemistry was off the charts.
I look forward to reading more about them in the next installment in November.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

She did it again and there's not possible not to enjoy a book from Donna Grant, also has elves and magical creatures so what else can a fantasy lover want?? Yasmin was such a great and well build character that it wasn't possible not to like her and the tension? Well don't even let me start talking about it..

I went into this one blind, not knowing what I was in for, and boy oh boy, was I in for a treat! I loved this. Everything about this story worked for me. The setting was unique, the characters well-written, and the plot was engaging. I loved the chemistry between Yasmin and Ravi. Wow, at points the heat was coming off the pages. The enemies-to-lovers trope works in this one. Believable. I cannot wait to read more by this author, they have a fantastic writing style that makes it almost impossible to put the book down.

First of all, I love when you can find information regarding the races or the magic system in a book at the beginning. It makes it easy to go back and check, especially when you are reading a printed book, when it comes to e-books, it can have the opposite effect, especially if there is too much information there.

What I liked most about this book, is how courageous the FMC is. In order to help Ravi achieve his quest, she has to go back to a horrible place (and oh my, the description of that place really made my hairs stand on end).

The only problem was that I felt a bit bored at times, during the journey to that place, but I'm still glad I read this book because it ended up being an interesting story with many troupes I enjoy.

If you want a high steaks adventure in a world with elves and humans, enemies to lovers, found family and forced proximity, I totally recommend giving a try to this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what this author releases in the future.

Okay so this book was definitely fun. I always enjoy going into a new fantasy world and meeting new characters that I know that I'm in the long haul with. It definitely is a little harsh rating the first in a fantasy series because it's a bunch of world building, character building, and magic-system building.
It definitely was slow at the beginning, but it started picking up and thats when I really enjoyed it. Once the pace started picking up, I did not want to put this book down. This is exactly what I look for in a fantasy book, and I am really excited to read the rest of the series!!

Rising Sun has proven without a shadow of a doubt that Donna Grant is a masterful storyteller who only gets better with time. With no break in the building tension and her trademark dramatic twists, her characters are sure to delight and her glorious storylines will keep your mind and heart fully engaged. The best way to savor the experience is to walk into her stories with an open mind and an open heart. Only then can you truly absorb and see everything that she wants us to observe and feel. The multi facetted and extraordinary journeys that she brings to life are truly breathtaking one of a kind treasures. No one should ever miss out on any of them.

Yasmin knows better then most how harsh and deadly life can be, so she does everything she can to help make life better for those she loves. When life sees fit to drag her back into a past she will do anything to avoid, she figures out the best to fight back. Ravi lives for his job. It defines him, and allows him to help the hands of justice prevail. When doing his job drags an unknown woman with questionable motives into his life, he is ready to be rid of her by any means. Can he complete his mission while keeping his head and heart secure, or will she manage to obliterate his safe life leaving nothing but ashes behind?

Yasmin has been forced to live life in a never ending darkness. With no light to break through, she doesn't know how to lean on another person. That has never ended well for her. Ravi has never been still long enough for anything to catch up to him. He prefers trusting in only himself since his only attempt to break that habit ended in disaster. Can someone who refuses to open his heart to those around him be able to break through the paralyzing walls of someone deeply scarred by a past that will not be laid to rest in order to conplete his mission, or will everything he worked for unravel before his very eyes?

Donna Grant has truly outdone herself with this utterly magnificent journey of blinding love and life-transforming hope! She pulled out all the stops to show us that a blinding and unstoppable love can decimate the deepest and thickest darkness in our world. Nothing can stand against a simple and pure hope offered with no strings or conditions. Good can overcome evil, but it can only succeed if we open our hearts and minds to it. We have to be the means that it uses to travel from one person to another. I ask you to pass along a tender hope and a simple love to those around you until it permeates our entire world with endless possibilities and unbelievable transformations.

Fantasy romance with quite a few tropes. Believable characters with chemistry from the beginning. It felt like the story behind the mission faded into the background and wasn’t kept in the forefront of my mind. I felt like some scenes really dragged on and some parts felt like it skipped over what could have been some engaging scenes.

The spice was decent and definitely a slow burn.

An enemies to lovers romance with Ravi and Yasmin. They must put aside heir differences to prevent a war--and of course fall in love in between. Yasmin is a human who may seem rough around the edges but is a strong woman who doesn't take disrespect from anyone. Ravi is a sun fan who is kind of blah in my opinion, he's closed off and reserved and lacked any qualities that had me really rooting for their relationship. They argue and banter any chance they get but that eventually turns to affection. The character development is great. Elves are superior and humans are less than, so Ravi takes some time to warm up to Yasmin based on that right at the beginning.

This definitely is an enemies to lovers romance which I really enjoyed. It was a little difficult to get into the story which I think might be due to having such little backstory. This is a series that is spinoff from another series that I haven't read. I could still read and enjoy the story but was little confused on some of the things the characters were talking about in the beginning.
I liked the characters. I feel really bad for Yasmin and what she went through for being a human. Ravi kinda feel flat for me. He just was there. I really like Dain and Manu, I hope we see more from them. The action in this book is really good and definitely keeps you entertained. I hope there is more from this world.

This enemies-to-lovers tale features Yasmin and Ravi on a mission to prevent war, forcing them to overcome their prejudices and work together through dangerous challenges. Yasmin's strength and bravery shine despite her difficult past, while Ravi, initially closed off, finds his walls crumbling as they navigate their journey. With a captivating magic system and unique world dynamics, this fast-paced romantasy is filled with adventure, tension, and steamy moments, making it a compelling read.